Bratislava Guide, map and photos. boo.com members recommend hotels, restaurants and attractions in Bratislava

I would recommend Bratislava as a day-trip from Vienna which is only an hour away (with a cheaper bus service) rather than a separate long stay. Not to offend the locals but as for tourists Bratislava itself (not sure of the whole country and surroundings although) lacks the charm and special...more I would recommend Bratislava as a day-trip from Vienna which is only an hour away (with a cheaper bus service) rather than a separate long stay. Not to offend the locals but as for tourists Bratislava itself (not sure of the whole country and surroundings although) lacks the charm and special atmosphere of neighbouring Prague, or architectural grandeur and cultural diversity of Vienna. Along with neat historical centre, some parts (or even most of them better to say) of the city looks unimpressive and poor in Western European standards, although normal in Eastern ones. The price advantage over its more developed western neighbours as seems to be fading away, and you may end up paying the same price for food and beer in the pub as say in Germany. The weather is (or at least was during my visit around Christmas) nasty - cold, wet, grey. close

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by legkiy – posted on Dec 23, 2007

23

Bratislava was cool. I\'m not much of a sightseeing tourist, but I did check out the castle, which made me feel like I didn\'t spend the whooole time partying. Went to a disco boat (Kircus Barak or something) on the Donau and partied until 6am. And won back my beer money playing...more Bratislava was cool. I\'m not much of a sightseeing tourist, but I did check out the castle, which made me feel like I didn\'t spend the whooole time partying. Went to a disco boat (Kircus Barak or something) on the Donau and partied until 6am. And won back my beer money playing roulette upstairs! Next night we waited in line for \"Trafo music bar\". I wanted to knock the asshole bouncer out for making us wait for an hour while he let all of his trashy gyspy friends in. But it was quite cool inside too. Other than that, I was surprised how expensive things were. Prague was definitely cheaper, and one would think that Prague would have 10x as many tourists, leading to higher prices, but no. Although we could\'ve easily been paying \"english speaking\" prices. 3E a beer or so. Other than that, fun city. Spend a day or two there and then get back to Vienna.close

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by brentdutcher1681 – posted on Nov 23, 2007

5

Unless you\'re in the area, Bratislava is not really worth a special trip. The historical town center is nice, but it looks like many other European cities without some of the distinctiveness that sets other ones apart. Most of the city still looks like it\'s under Soviet control--I...more Unless you\'re in the area, Bratislava is not really worth a special trip. The historical town center is nice, but it looks like many other European cities without some of the distinctiveness that sets other ones apart. Most of the city still looks like it\'s under Soviet control--I guess because that\'s when all the buildings were built. It clearly has a lot of history, but I didn\'t find much to be all that well preserved or maintained. It doesn\'t help that Bratislava is not very tourist-friendly. While a lot of the signs in the historic center are in Slovak, German, and English, very few people actually spoke English or German, despite the fact that the city is a mere 15 minutes from Austria. As an American I felt especially unwelcome. A few people were helpful even when we had no language in common, but many were downright rude and refused to help me--even shop owners, who apparently didn\'t want my business. Overall, an interesting place, but not worth a separate trip.close

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by lauracsmith7163 – posted on Nov 1, 2007

30

Passing through to Vienna and back on business (because there are direct flights to Manchester) I had a poor experience of Bratislava and Slovenians (if that right) in general. They push into queues, officials (stations car hire etc) have a don't care attitude. Apart from Western retail park...more Passing through to Vienna and back on business (because there are direct flights to Manchester) I had a poor experience of Bratislava and Slovenians (if that right) in general. They push into queues, officials (stations car hire etc) have a don't care attitude. Apart from Western retail park (IKEA, M&S. Tesco, H&M etc) whole place looks a dump, ancient buses & trams, rough roads, you name it it ain't maintained, Coach transfer driver cheats by not only quoting wrong fare but giving no receipt an pocketing cash, then not using (toll) motorway resulting in further delay - I could go on. Vienna (when I got there) was superb, and Manchester looked a million times better than Bratislava. Not my idea of fun.close

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by AndyBeck – posted on Aug 16, 2007

1

this was a great calm quiet and pretty city! it was clean and lovely and a really nice break from the hussle and bussle of big busy touristy places. you can walk around and see the whole city in less than a day, but stay longer if you can and enjoy the peacefulness and beauty all around....more this was a great calm quiet and pretty city! it was clean and lovely and a really nice break from the hussle and bussle of big busy touristy places. you can walk around and see the whole city in less than a day, but stay longer if you can and enjoy the peacefulness and beauty all around. bratislava is great!!close

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by nhorak3092 – posted on Apr 16, 2007

13

Beware of travelling on the bus! The moment we got on the bus we were hounded by inspectors for failing to stamp our ticket. Don't let them screw you over. They yelled at us and we yelled at them, we got off the bus, they followed and threatened to call the police. And we walked off. When...more Beware of travelling on the bus! The moment we got on the bus we were hounded by inspectors for failing to stamp our ticket. Don't let them screw you over. They yelled at us and we yelled at them, we got off the bus, they followed and threatened to call the police. And we walked off. When arguing on the bus the other Slovakians stood up and scolded the inspectors for hounding us. It was a huge shock. We had been in the city 30mins! But of course thanks to the support from the Slovakains on the bus! Appreciate it!close

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by philipmich – posted on Apr 5, 2007

19

Bratislava isn't going to appeal to everyone, it's not very big and the things to do can seem limited. But it's a nice spot to hang out for a couple days and take it easy in between prague and budapest...there still are tourists, but a small fraction of what you'll find in...more Bratislava isn't going to appeal to everyone, it's not very big and the things to do can seem limited. But it's a nice spot to hang out for a couple days and take it easy in between prague and budapest...there still are tourists, but a small fraction of what you'll find in either of the above cities.close

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by Jeff0son – posted on Apr 4, 2007

4

Bratislava can really be done in a day. It\'s certainly a grim city, with communist architecture on the outskirts of the city. The city centre certainly had character, and for less than 50p a pint in a lot of places, it\'s definitely a \'cheap\' holiday. I\'d...more Bratislava can really be done in a day. It\'s certainly a grim city, with communist architecture on the outskirts of the city. The city centre certainly had character, and for less than 50p a pint in a lot of places, it\'s definitely a \'cheap\' holiday. I\'d recommend going to the 1. Slovak Pub for a drink or too - it\'s the oldest pub in Slovakia (i think) and certainly has plenty of character. It\'s also pretty cheap and has some amazing deals for Slovakian students, but we weren\'t too impressed with the food. Another thing to take into consideration is that it is definitely worth learning key Slovak phrases, as you won\'t find many English-speaking locals. Vienna is only a short train ride away (one hour, just over 8 euro) and is definitely a city with more to offer.close

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by EvaGeor – posted on Mar 19, 2007

4

OK so when I was told about the brat I was told it was a very depressing, run down, ex-soviet looking hole and not to bother. WRONG! This place blew my expectations out of the water! Parts of Krakow and London are much more run down looking than Bratislava. The worst part of my journey to...more OK so when I was told about the brat I was told it was a very depressing, run down, ex-soviet looking hole and not to bother. WRONG! This place blew my expectations out of the water! Parts of Krakow and London are much more run down looking than Bratislava. The worst part of my journey to Bratislava was the hostel I stayed in. The old town (though half new) was really lovely, had plenty of cool bars and places to eat (plus good shopping). The Castle was really nice and had great views of the city. It's small enough to get around on foot and won't blow your budget. A lot of people go straight through Bratislava to another destination, don't do it! Get out, have a look, you won't be sorry.close

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by DionG – posted on Feb 27, 2007

38

Deplorable ! En recepción no te explican nada. Tienes que dejar 10 € por si pierdes la llave. Hay solo un water por piso. Huele espantoso. Los baños no los limpian hasta el dia siguiente. No hay teléfonos publicos... No volveremos nunca mas y por favor no lo publiciten...more Deplorable ! En recepción no te explican nada. Tienes que dejar 10 € por si pierdes la llave. Hay solo un water por piso. Huele espantoso. Los baños no los limpian hasta el dia siguiente. No hay teléfonos publicos... No volveremos nunca mas y por favor no lo publiciten en Hostelword ( les da muy mala imagen )close

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by Camall – posted on Jan 23, 2007

6